Scoring device



April 13, 1967 NEGUFFY ETAL 3,314,339 I SCORING DEVICE Filed May 4, 1964 Fig. 19

United States Patent 3,314,339 SCORING DEVICE Willie E. Gutfy and Willis B. Lincoln, Jr., Indianapolis,

Ind., assignors to Inland Container Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed May 4, 1964, Ser. No. 364,596 2 Claims. (Cl. 9358.1)

The present invention relates to scoring means and more particularly to scoring heads or rollers usable, for example, in scoring or creasing corrugated or solid fibre board or the like.

In the manufacture of corrugated boxes, it is necessary to score or crease the corrugated board at various locations in order to facilitate folding of the corrugated board to form the box. Prior art devices for scoring usually include cooperating metal rollers known as scoring heads or collars which impress the score or crease in the board. These metal rollers have not proven to be completely satisfactory for a number of reasons. Consequently, a primary object of the present invention is to provide improved scoring means.

A more specific object or advantage of the invention is to provide scoring means which improve the quality and uniformity of scoring on all grades of corrugated board thereby also reducing waste.

Corrugated boxes are conventionally manufactured in a knocked down or flat condition for shipment to the person who intends to package an item in the box. Such fiat boxes are packaged in bundles for shipment. For ease in shipping, it is desirable that these bundles be fiat and occupy as little space as possible. A further object of the invention is to provide scoring means which can be operated to produce a score resulting in more free fold in the corrugated board. That is, the fold has less resiliency and tends to allow the panels to remain in parallel layers. Consequently, a further object or advantage of the present invention is to provide scoring means which produce a crease providing more free fold and less spring in box bundles.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a scoring means which will produce a score which will fold with less physical effort on the part of packing labor who must assemble corner posts, buffers, and other folded forms of interior packing pieces used to position, restrain, and cushion merchandise within shipping containers.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide scoring means which produces a score which breaks or folds along a true line by reason of the fact that the corrugated board moves straight through the scoring means rather than veering to one side or the other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a scoring means which does not severely crush localized areas of corrugated board whereby the inaccurate folding and fracture usually resulting from such localized area crushing is reduced or eliminated.

Related objects and advantages are to provide a scoring means resulting in more accurate gap and better alignment at the manufacturers joint of the box, i.e. the joint produced by the joining of the free ends of the box blank by the box manufacturer; to provide a scoring means which produces scores resulting in less facing (the paperboard forming the inner and outer components of the corrugated board) fracture; to provide a scoring means which produces scores resulting in less wrinkle adjacent to the score on the inside of the box; to provide a scoring means which produces scores having good appearance in the box bundle and in the assembled box; and to provide a scoring means which is less apt to be damaged when the scoring heads get out of adjustment and run together or engage one another during operation.

Related objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

One embodiment of the present invention might include I a pair of scoring rollers arranged to rotate about parallel axes, said rollers having adjacent peripheries between which corrugated board moves to be scored, a rubber or the like rim element secured to and defining the outer periphery or rim of one of said rollers, said rim element having an outwardly facing recess of uniform or constant preformed cross section extending completely around the rubber element, the other of said rollers having a projection of constant cross section extending completely around the external periphery thereof, said projection extending toward said recess for cooperating therewith to score the corrugated board.

Due to the elasticity of the rim element, the preformed cross section can adjust to variations in thickness characterizing corrugated board under certain conditions and vibrations or inaccuracies in the mechanical equipment.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front elevation of scoring apparatus embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows and showing additionally a platform or guide across which the corrugated board is delivered to the scoring rollers.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated a scoring apparatus 10 which includes a pair of drive shafts 11 and 12 positively coupled to a drive motor 15 for driving the shafts 11 and 12 in opposite directions. The positive coupling of the shafts 11 and 12 to the motor 15 can be accomplished by means of a transmission (not shown) received within one of the upright shaft supports and mounts 16. The structure described above LlS conventional, one specific embodiment thereof being an S & S Slitter-Scorer type CYF 2-bar model manufactured by S & S Corrugated Paper Machinery Co., Inc. 160 N. 4th St., Brooklyn 11, NY.

Fixed -to the shafts 11 and 12 are a number of rollers or scoring heads 17 and 20. The heads 17 are formed of rigid metal and have an outwardly extending peripheral projection 21 of constant cross section and extending completely therearound. In the illustrated preferred embodiment of the invention, the included angle, that is the angle 22, of the projection is 120 degrees. It will be noted that except for the rounded apex 25 which has a width in the preferred embodiment as viewed in FIG. 3 of of an inch, the sides 26 of the projection paper linearly away from the apex 25. In said preferred embodiment of the invention, the horizontal width of the projection 21 as viewed in FIG. 3 is A of an inch.

Each roller or head 20 has an elastic resilient (rubber, polyurethane etc.) element 27 secured to and defining the outer periphery of the roller. Preferably, this elastic element 27 is formed of durometer rubber although other elastic materials can be used. The elastic has a constant-cross-section recess 30 therein which registers with the projection 21 and extends completely around the external periphery of the head 20. In said preferred 0 embodiment of the invention, the recess 30 has a radius of 7 of an inch and is .040 inch deep. Bordering the recess 30 are two generally flat cylindrical areas 31 each having a width in said preferred embodiment of of an inch. The elastic element 27 then tapers (as indicated at 32 in FIG. 2) linearly away from the generally cylindrical surfaces 31 at an angle in said preferred embodiment of 38 degrees.

In order to score a piece of corrugated (or other form of paper) board, the board is fed into the machine across the platform 35, said platform being fixed to the machine in spaced relation to the rollers 17 and 20. The motor drives those rollers 17 and 20 engaging the board and causing the board to be drawn therebetween and to be scored by the projection 21 and the recess An appropriate spacing of the male and female rollers for such scoring is indicated in FIG. 3 although this spacing can be adjusted if desired for different types of board and for different types of scores.

The scoring of corrugated board in the manner described above has been found to result in a number of improvements. For example, quality and uniformity of scoring on all grades of corrugated board has been improved. More free fold at the score is produced by the apparatus of the present invention and as a result, less spring in box bundles is produced. It has also been found that scores produced by the scoring means of the present invention require much less physical effort to bend or fold and fold more accurately and in truly straight line while showing less score roll than scores made by the scoring means of the prior art. As :a result of the true folding of scores made by the scoring means of this invention, boxes have better alignment and more accurate gap at the manufacturers joint. By use of the scoring means of the present invention, less wrinkle adjacent the score on the inside facing of the box results. Because of the fact that the one roller 20 has an external periphery which is formed of elastic material, there is less danger of damage to the rollers when the cooperating rollers get out of adjustment relative to one another and make accidental contact or run together.

It has also been found that the elastic rim makes unnecessary precise adjustment of the clearance between the two rollers to avoid damage to the board structure.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims are also desired to be protected. For example, possible alternative embodiments of the invention might include forming the male head of elastic material and the female head of metal or forming :bo-th heads of elastic material.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a scoring apparatus including a pair of scoring rollers arranged to rotate about parallel axes, said rollers having adjacent peripheries between which board moves to be scored, the improvement which comprises one of said rollers having a resilient external periphery, the other of said rollers being. formed of rigid material at its external periphery, said resiliently peripheried roller having an outwardly facing generally semi-circularly cross-sectioned recess extending therearound, annular portions of said first roller on opposite sides of said recess tapering toward the roller axis to form continuous beads along the side margins of said recess, said other roller have a projection extending therearound, said projection extending toward said recess for cooperating therewith to score the board.

2. In a scoring apparatus including a pair of scoring rollers arranged to rotate about parallel axes, said rollers having adjacent peripheries between which corrugated board moves to be scored, the improvement which comprises a rubber element secured to and defining the outer periphery of one of said rollers, said rubber element having an outwardly facing recess extending around the rubber element, said recess having a generally constant radius, said rubber element having a pair of annular cylindrical shapes bordering said recess, said rubber element having tapering annular surfaces bordering said cylindrical shapes and on the outside thereof, said annular surfaces tapering away from said cylindrical shapes at an angle of 38, the other of said rollers having a rigid metal projection extending around the external periphery thereof, said projection having a generally V- shape with the included angle of said V-shape approximate-1y said projection extending toward said recess for cooperating therewith to score the corrugated board.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Fitchett 935 8.1

BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A SCORING APPARATUS INCLUDING A PAIR OF SCORING ROLLERS ARRANGED TO ROTATE ABOUT PARALLEL AXES, SAID ROLLERS HAVING ADJACENT PERIPHERIES BETWEEN WHICH BOARD MOVES TO BE SCORED, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES ONE OF SAID ROLLERS HAVING A RESILIENT EXTERNAL PERIPHERY, THE OTHER OF SAID ROLLERS BEING FORMED OF RIGID MATERIAL AT ITS EXTERNAL PERIPHERY, SAID RESILIENTLY PERIPHERIED ROLLER HAVING AN OUTWARDLY FACING GENERALLY SEMI-CIRCULARLY CROSS-SECTIONED RECESS EXTENDING THEREAROUND, ANNULAR PORTIONS OF SAID FIRST ROLLER ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID RECESS TAPERING TOWARD THE ROLLER AXIS TO FORM CONTINUOUS BEADS ALONG THE SIDE MARGINS OF SAID RECESS, SAID OTHER ROLLER HAVE A PROJECTION EXTENDING THEREAROUND, SAID PROJECTION EXTENDING TOWARD SAID RECESS FOR COOPERATING THEREWITH TO SCORE THE BOARD. 